Saginaw & Western Railway
A model "subsidiary" of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
Welcome to the Saginaw & Western Railway, a model railroad subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The S&W is the creation of Ron G. Marsh based on prototype operations over the 110 mile Wichita Falls subdivision from Fort Worth to Wichita Falls in north Texas. The model is set in the spring of 2000.
History
The line between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls, Texas was originally built and operated by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway, established in 1873. Construction on the line began from Hodge Junction just north of Fort Worth on November 27, 1881. The 110 mile line to Wichita Falls was completed by September 1882. The FW&D operated the line until its merger into the Burlington Northern Railroad on December 31, 1982. BN merged with the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to form BNSF in 1995.
My version of the Wichita Falls subdivision, the Saginaw and Western Railway, handles interchange traffic with the Union Pacific Railroad at Downtown Yard, Fort Worth; the Fort Worth and Western Railroad at Hodge Junction, Fort Worth; and the Wichita Tillman and Jackson Railroad at Katy Yard, Wichita Falls. Operations center around North Yard in Saginaw and include 17 online industries in addition to the 3 interchanges. The layout is designed to accomodate as many as 10 operators, but can be run effectively by as few as 3.
Check out the new gallery pics of recent progress, an updated track plan, my latest blog entry, and RR pics from our summer vacation. Last updated February 10, 2009.
| Scale | N (1:160) |
| Theme | BNSF, Wichita Falls subdivision |
| Locale | Fort Worth, TX to Wichita Falls, TX |
| Era | Spring, 2000 |
| Size | 17' X 17' |
| Style | Walk-in |
| Benchwork | Grid |
| Scenery | Plaster-soaked paper towels over cardboard lattice and extruded foam |
| Backdrop | 1/8" Masonite hardboard |
| Control | MRC Prodigy Advance (Wireless) DCC |
| Length of Main | 95' (almost 3 scale miles) |
| Roadbed | Cork on 1/2" plywood |
| Track | Atlas code 80 with Peco insulfrog turnouts |
| Turnouts | #6 (medium radius) |
| Height | 42" - 45" |
| Max Grade | 1.5% |
| Min Curve Radius | Main-16" with easements; industrial-12" |
| Min Track Centers | Tangent-1 1/4"; curve-1 1/2" |
| Min Vertical Clearance | 1 3/4" |
| Fast Clock | 4:1 |
Inspiration
Having lived in Fort Worth, TX in the late '90's through 2003, I became a fan of BNSF. First drawn to the Heritage I & II paint schemes, I enjoyed watching the variety of old schemes and patch jobs on the still newly merged BNSF. Working in the area of Saginaw, TX, I thought that the layout of the town and industries along the combined BNSF/UP right of way there made it a natural subject for a model railroad. That inspiration led to plans for the present N scale Saginaw and Western. When my family and I moved to our current home in Central Missouri, an unfinished basement provided the perfect platform for the railroad. Benchwork construction began in late 2003. Progress has been slow at times, but the main line was completed and the first train traversed the main in January, 2007.
About the owner
The creator and owner of the Saginaw and Western Railway is Ron G. Marsh. He is a pastor who grew up and lives in West-Central Missouri along the Missouri Pacific Sedalia subdivision. He was a MoPac fan from childhood. It was natural that when he first entered the hobby he modeled Missouri Pacific's merger era with the Union Pacific (1983-1984) in HO and N scales before switching to BNSF as the subject of his modeling. His first layout was N scale 4'X4' Marsh Creek, a fictional small town along a MP mainline in Western Missouri. The Saginaw and Western is his second N scale layout.
